Autism, aphasia, dysphasia are just some of the terms relating to mental disabilities that we encounter in the media or in professional literature. Those who personally experience the illness or care for people with disabilities are not always able, and often simply unwilling, to share their experiences with others. When April passes, symbolically marked in blue as a sign of solidarity and support for people with autism and their families , in which (2 April) we celebrate World Autism Awareness Day, followed by 5 May, the European Day against Disability Discrimination. As the charity Wings for Life World Run draws to a close, we often forget that disabled people live among us.
This is why the book "Who stole tomorrow?" by Olga Ptak, should find itself in the hands of parents, carers, educators, psychologists, speech therapists, psychotherapists, and it would be excellent if most of us became familiar with its content. The "painful" content will not leave anyone indifferent to the problems of disability, in this case involving a child.
Part I of the book, is an account of a mother experiencing difficult motherhood, an attempt to name what seems to have no name, and to put in order a world full of expectations and ideas about motherhood, but which has fallen apart completely. We get to know Olga's uneasy emotions, which sometimes surprise her, which cannot be predicted, and which she has had to learn to live with. Mama Olga struggles not only with herself but also with a world that is unfriendly and hostile to people with disabilities, placing insurmountable obstacles in her way. Perhaps her experiences that she shares with the reader in her book will help all those who, like her, are in the 'emergency room' from morning to evening. Part II of the book consists of short scenes from the life of a disabled boy who tells about his world, where everything is not as his mother Olga would have wanted. Leon is looking for a friend and it is to him that he entrusts his secrets. The graphically highlighted letters that appear on the following pages, despite their apparent disorder, form the word FRIEND.
This section can serve as a pretext for educators, teachers and educators to talk to children about disability, difference and tolerance.